How Long Does It Take to get a Green Card?

The green card process goes through a number of different stages. When answering the question “how long does it take to get a green card” we must remember that every case is unique with different timescales. We will examine each of the steps in more detail.

To begin with, someone must generally file an immigrant petition on your behalf. Once this sponsorship petition has been submitted, if there are available places in your immigrant category you can then fill out an immigrant green card application to move to the next part of the process. As part of the process, you will be invited to an appointment to collect biometrics information and it is in your interest to ensure you can to make that appointment or risk delaying the application process.

After the biometric stage, you may then be asked to attend an interview with the USCIS. Officially, at the end of the interview, the interviewing officer should tell you if your application has been approved. However, it is often the case that this does not happen. There may be situations where your application is referred to a supervising office for final approval which can extend things by another two weeks.

You may also be required to provide additional evidence which can increase the process by one to three months. When green cards are approved they are sent out via post but again, this can be months after the application is approved.

When we get asked “how long does it take to get a green card”, we can safely say that it may take some patience and perseverance. The form filling process can be long and complex so obtaining assistance with this can ensure that you do not waste valuable weeks having to rectify incorrect forms.

We would also recommend acting on requests for information promptly without undue delay. Whilst many people will question “how long does it take to get a green card” they need to remember it is their responsibility to undertake every request in a timely manner. Overall, processing times for various green card visa types have increased significantly over the last few years according to data released by the USCIS.

When asking “how long does it take to get a green card”, our advice, therefore, is always to be expedient with requests for data, take care filling out the forms (enlisting help where needed) and exercise some patience.